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← Language & CommunicationWhy does a creole language resist simple classification based solely on its substrate languages' grammars more strongly than its superstrate language?
A)Decreased frequency of superstrate borrowing
B)Increased substrate phonetic simplification
C)Reduced influence from areal language contact
D)Grammaticalization reanalyzes substrate features structurally✓
💡 Explanation
Creoles exhibit unique grammatical structures because grammaticalization involves reanalysis of substrate features within the new linguistic environment, which leads to novel structures that differ from the source languages. Therefore, a creole is resistant to classification, rather than reflecting direct influence, because the features undergo a complex evolutionary shift during formation.
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